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The fantasy value of wide receivers has increased in recent seasons, so it's no shock that three of the past seven Super Bowl MVPs are wideouts. The last came in 2009, when Santonio Holmes hauled in nine passes for 131 yards and recorded what will be one of the greatest touchdown catches ever in the big game. A total of six wideouts have won the award overall, and 26 have recorded 100-plus yards in the 45 championships. In the third part of our series that combines Super Bowl success and fantasy football, we'll look at the top 10 wide receiver performances in the planet's ultimate game.
1. Jerry Rice, 49ers (Super Bowl XXIX): Considered the greatest wideout to ever put on the helmet and pads, Rice was a touchdown machine in Super Bowls. He had 10 receptions for 149 yards with three touchdowns -- the second time he scored three times in the big game -- and scored 33.9 fantasy points in a 49-26 win over the San Diego Chargers. Rice wasted little time, scoring on a 44-yard pass from Steve Young three plays into the contest.
2. Jerry Rice, 49ers (Super Bowl XXIV): Rice and the 49ers blasted the Denver Broncos, 55-10, to capture the franchise's fourth Super Bowl title. While it was Joe Montana who took home MVP honors, Rice also made his claim for the award with seven receptions, 148 yards and three trips to the end zone. The Hall-of-Fame wide receiver scored on catches of 20, 38 and 28 yards and finished the contest with a total of 32.8 fantasy points.
3. Ricky Sanders, Redskins (Super Bowl XXII): Rice would have owned the top three performances on our list had it not been for Sanders. He posted nine receptions for what was a record 193 yards, scored two touchdowns and finished with 31.3 fantasy points in a win over the Broncos. Sanders averaged a solid 21.4 yards per reception and found the end zone on long downfield strikes of 80 and 50 yards from MVP Doug Williams.
4. Jerry Rice, 49ers (Super Bowl XXIII): Does anyone see a trend here? Even with a sore ankle, Rice still made mincemeat of Cincinnati's defense in a memorable 20-16 win. He recorded 11 receptions, established a record with 215 receiving yards, found the end zone once on a 14-yard pass from Montana and finished with 28 fantasy points. Rice has scored more touchdowns than all non-quarterbacks in Super Bowl history.
5. Max McGee, Packers (Super Bowl I): In the oldest performance to make our top 10, McGee caught seven passes for 138 yards and scored two touchdowns in a 35-10 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. He caught a mere four passes in the regular season, but was called into action to replace an injured Boyd Dowler. He went on to find the end zone on strikes of 37 and 13 yards from MVP Bart Starr and finished with 25.8 fantasy points.
6. Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals (Super Bowl XLIII): Fitzgerald finished up a record-setting postseason with a monster stat line in Super Bowl XLIII, putting up seven catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He found the end zone on passes of 1 and 64 yards from Kurt Warner, the last of which put the Cardinals ahead in the fourth quarter. Fitzgerald finished with 24.7 fantasy points.
7. Antonio Freeman, Packers (Super Bowl XXXII): In a contest dominated by Broncos RB Terrell Davis, the Packers fell short of a second consecutive Super Bowl title in a 31-24 loss. Freeman still put up huge numbers, though, recording nine catches for 126 yards with two touchdowns and a solid 24 fantasy points. His scores came on passes of 22 and 13 yards from Brett Favre, who outperformed John Elway but couldn't take home a win.
8. Michael Irvin, Cowboys (Super Bowl XXVII): Irvin had the best statistical performance of his three Super Bowl appearances with six receptions, 114 yards and two touchdowns in the Cowboys' 52-17 romp over the Buffalo Bills. The Playmaker scored on catches of 19 and 18 yards from Troy Aikman, who would earn MVP honors in the contest. Irvin would finish with 23.4 fantasy points, and Dallas earned its third title in six Super Bowl appearances.
9. John Stallworth, Steelers (Super Bowl XIII): Stallworth recorded just three receptions in the Steelers' 35-31 win over the Cowboys, but he made them count. The talented wideout had 115 yards and two touchdowns, one of which came on a 75-yard strike from Terry Bradshaw in the second quarter that tied the score at 14. Stallworth, who scored his first touchdown of the contest in the first quarter, finished with 23.5 fantasy points.
10. Lynn Swann, Steelers (Super Bowl X): In a forgettable Super Bowl for Cowboys CB Mark Washington, Swann made some of the most acrobatic catches ever seen in the Steelers' 21-17 win. He would record four receptions for what was a record 161 receiving yards (40.25 YPC), one touchdown and scored 22 fantasy points. Swann, who earned MVP honors for his statistical success in the contest, found the end zone on a 64-yard strike from Bradshaw.
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com. Have a burning question on anything fantasy related? Tweet it to _**@MichaelFabiano**_ or send a question via **Facebook**!
